Alexander Zakharchenko, who had been Prime Minister of the DPR since 2014, died in an explosion in downtown Donetsk on Friday

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov

GROZNY, September 1. /TASS/. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov vowed support and assistance to eastern Ukraine’s region of Donbass following the death of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic leader Alexander Zakharchenko.

"On this difficult day for Donbass, I assure that we are ready to render all necessary assistance and support, we will not leave you face-to-face with your tragedy," Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram page.

The Chechen leader said that although he never met Zakharchenko in person, he talked to him by phone on many occasions. "He was a sincere and courageous person, devoted to his people," Kadyrov said.

He added that Western nations "absolutely don’t care that the Ukrainian government has harbored terrorists, bandits, gangsters, criminals, provided them with weapons, money and documents and gave them green light to carry out terror attacks and murders" in the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk."

Some of those nations, Kadyrov said, have become "home for hundreds of dangerous criminals, wanted in Russia on charges of grave crimes."

Alexander Zakharchenko, who had been Prime Minister of the DPR since 2014, died in an explosion in downtown Donetsk on Friday. He was 42 years old. The blast left two people dead and nine injured, including DPR minister of taxes and duties, Alexander Timofeyev, and the head of a local youth organization, Natalya Volkova. DPR law enforcement agencies have already detained several suspects in the blast, who confirmed the Kiev government’s involvement, the DPR interim head has said. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) earlier denied any role in the blast.